The Forbidden
by Heaven's Archer
Summary: AU. The final duel went completely different to as it was later told. Alkia, the innocent woman caught in the Shadows has risen to the call of the gods. Her and her forbidden millenium item control this fight. And she has waited for vengence...No Pairings
1. Sometimes I wish

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. And as much as I enjoy writing about ANY of my favourite fandoms, I probably never will. Unless I get remarkably rich and buy them somehow...actually. I'ma get back to on that ^^

AN: AN: Yes, my next anime obsession has arisen MWUHAHAHAHA Please welcome Yu-Gi-Oh! to my ever expanding list of shows that I would probably get teased for watching :D Okie. So I watched almost all of it (once again over YouTube, I skipped the Dungeon Dice stuff and some of Battle City... finished it o.o OMG I'M CRYING RIGHT NOW! ;.; ;.; ;.; I can't believe that even happened! [Memory Arc, See I managed not to spoil anything])

Anyway, this is only a short chapter story. I think mostly cos I wanted to be able to say I actually managed to put a completed one up? It isn't completely finished but, only one more i have to write, I think its 4 you have to read ;) enjoy.

Prologue: Sometimes I Wish

The young teen smiled shyly at his mother as she handed him a small flute that had been found at one of her digs in Egypt. The boy took the artefact carefully into his hands and tightened his grasp slightly.

He turned to talk to his mother, only to see her on the phone once again. She was talking animatedly in Arabic to the man on the other side of the line. As she ended the phone call she placed a few hundred dollar bills on the table and kissed her son on the forehead before grabbing her still packed suitcase and calling the airport.

The teen sighed and his eyes fell. But it was normal, he really shouldn't expect more.

He looked at the artefact in his hands and frowned as he noticed a small hole in either side. As he inspected them more carefully, he noticed that they were carefully drilled, though obviously not part of the original instrument. He looked inside and noticed that the part with the holes was cut off from the part that created the music by a metal wall of sorts, inside the flute.

He pondered it quietly for awhile through dinner that he had cooked, by himself as he had had to since he was about 9, and came to a conclusion. It was probably a failsafe, so that the musician could wear it around their neck or looped through a piece of clothing ensuring they would notice if it was being moved without their permission.

The boy found a small leather thong and threaded it through the two small holes, tying it carefully around his neck. He gasped as it seemed to give a small flash. But as he rubbed his eyes and the light died, he took it to be a trick of light.

Next to him, a semi-transparent woman smiled. She was wearing an Ancient Egyptian dress, a traditional white, with threads of gold spun through it. Her long black hair was braided out of her face, with a small flute tied carefully to a leather belt around her waist. Her sun-browned skin was glowing in an ethereal way but her red eyes were very kind as surveyed the young man that could not see her.

'Do not worry, young one,' she whispered in an exotic accent, 'I will protect you from all that you face.'

Then she slowly faded, with only a small glow from the flute around the boy's neck to indicate where she had disappeared too.


	2. That it Would Be Easy

Chapter 1: That It Would Be Easy

Thomas Johnson was 15 now, and he could remember exactly when Alkia started to protect him.

He had been 12, not long after he had received the flute from his mother, and he was being circled by the school bullies. He felt his mind being moved aside, then he had an out of body experience where he watched himself spin kicking and punching all the bullies to the ground with a strange cat-like grace he _knew _he didn't have. Then he'd felt himself be gently pulled back into control and a woman's voice whisper, '_You're safe now_.'

Not long after that he had finally seen Alkia, after months of calling out with his mind. He had been crying, missing his mother who was once again on one of her long digs. And she had appeared, after she calmed him down, she began to look after _him, _something he thought he'd never experience. She helped him clean the house, made him meals. It was like she'd become his mother. Alkia smiled when she had heard that thought, said considering she was 25 when she had been captured in the item, it would have been plausible in her time.

He flipped some his longish dark brown hair out of his blue eyes to where the rest of it sat, just beneath his shoulders before tracing his finger along the shrunken flute under his shirt.

He looked quietly over the river before flipping around and fiddling once again with the speed boat's control. Didn't want to run himself into the banks now, did he?

'Your thoughts, hikari, are more rampant and uncontrollable than the dragons of the gods,' came an amused voice from behind him.

Thomas chuckled lightly before turning around and balancing himself on the railing that edged the small boat and turning to face his 'yami'.

'Well, it was quite the strange day for me, Dark. And now that I know what you where thinking and doing while I couldn't see you, it's even stranger.

Alkia's lips quirked into the barest of smiles, but even that made her face even more welcoming than it normally would as she sat down next to her light.

Thomas looked over his yami quickly. When he had finally found out she was there, she had always worn her Egyptian garb, what her spirit had been captured in, but as she figured out how to be seen by others, so she could act like his guardian, she had had to change into something more modern.

Today, her silky straight black hair was flying loose in the whipping winds. She had a midriff-baring golden tank top, with a long sleeved white business shirt unbuttoned over the top like a jacket. She wore long black pants and a pair of white leather heeled boots.

'I'm glad my new style of dress gains your opinion, Hikari,' she laughed as Thomas blushed slightly, 'Tis indeed pity not many but you can see me in it.'

Thomas chuckled at her obvious displeasure, it was true. If she was playing his guardian she couldn't go around wearing that, she usually wore jeans and a t-shirt, more 'mum-like'. If she was helping him duel, she of course took over his body, so she was still in what he was wearing, it just changed a little.

It was strange when he saw the reruns of his first regional tournaments. He couldn't believe it was still him. When Alkia controlled their body, he got taller, looked older and his skin took on a golden tan, much different to his normally slightly pale complexion. His hair also darkened to black and got longer, his eyes turned red (a side of effect that is the same for every Yami and Hikari, Alkia had told him when he had freaked out the first time)and his voice and looks took on a kind of feminine touch to those who knew him outside of duelling. But it wasn't so bad that he looked girlish just more delicate and graceful than the other guys that competed.

'You are quite reminiscent this evening, hikari,' murmured Alkia, 'are you ok?'

Thomas turned to see her glancing out of the corner of her eye at him, a worried spark to her warm eyes.

'I'm fine, Alkia, I'll be better when we get there though,' he murmured, glancing towards the island he was headed for.

When the millennium flute's power started fluxuating, Alkia had grown apprehensive. She had told her Hikari it meant that Atemu, the son of the pharaoh that had created the items also the boy had that sealed the shadow magic away, was in a tablet that would help him restore his memories and was therefore close to the door to the afterlife. Alkia had told Thomas, not that long ago when he had asked that she didn't remember the sealing of the shadows happen, for it had happened after the priest had sealed her into the eighth item he had made without the Pharaoh's knowledge.

Thomas still didn't know why she looked so worried about the door to the afterlife, but had been getting snippets when her mind's shields had gone down. There was something about a last chance, final judgement and a battle. And also something about a choice the gods had to make about what would happen to her.

He was of course worried that meant she'd be taken away from him, but every time he had asked Alkia, she just said that Egyptian Gods would be the ones to decide what happened. Apparently, they just needed to get there to start things off.

'Thomas, it is late for such heavy thinking,' his yami murmured, 'sleep, I shall watch our course.'

Thomas nodded quietly and walked to the small sleeping cabin beneath the ship, closing his eyes as sighing as his yami murmured 'Good Night' and kissed him upon the forehead.


	3. To Enter The Tomb Of The Pharaohs

Chapter Two – To Enter the Tomb of the Pharaohs

Yugi paused at the foot of the millennium stone and glanced at Ishizu, who gestured for him to continue.

He slowly slotted the items into their places. The eye, the necklace, the scales, the rod, the ring, the key and finally, taking the familiar height from around his neck, he carefully slotted the millennium puzzle into its position.

Licking his drying lips and swallowing to try and sooth his raspy throat he cast a cursory look over the stone, now holding seven solid gold, priceless artefacts before noticing something that left him with a distinct frown on his face.

There was an empty slot.

Yugi's eyes widened worriedly. There shouldn't be an empty slot! His eyes raced over the items, carefully placed in their specific spots, all seven were there. Why was there an eighth slot!

It sat there, mocking him. The empty slot lay along the very edge of the stone, it would have looked like a simple wear in the five millennia old stone if it weren't so distinct. It was long, a small pole-like shape.

'Ishizu!' he gasped, pointing at the section that worried him.

The two tomb keepers, worried by his tone rushed over, their eyes widening in horror at the empty slot before Marik murmured what they all knew in their hearts.

'There was an eighth item...' he muttered in horror.

Atem burst from his puzzle, his eyes locked on the spot. 'I knew of no such item,' he whispered in a deadly tone, with an undercurrent that was probably as close to scared the Pharaoh could reach.

'So it was made without the knowledge of the ruler?' gasped Ishizu.

'There's no way for us to know where it is...' whispered Yugi in a broken voice, on the verge of crying. All that hard work, all the time mentally preparing for having to face the Pharaoh in one last battle. All that work was going to mean nothing.

Atem fell to his knees, bashing his fist onto the stone, 'I was so close...so close to seeing them all again,' he whispered brokenly as he knelt, looking in pain at the last empty slot in the stone.

The others in attendance stared in silence. Many with tears in their eyes.

'Who calls for the power of the forbidden millennium item?' came a male's voice for the doorway to the room.

'I do!' bellowed the Pharaoh.

'And what claim do you stake to it?' came the voice in a deadly whisper.

'I need it to finally seal the shadows away, for the safety of this world and the afterlife, also to move on to where I belong...' he whispered the last part brokenly, Yugi looking at him with wet eyes.

The young man quickly jumped down the last of the stairs, grinning widely at the mismatched group of duellists.

'That awesome! But I'm not the one whose questions you need to answer!' he smiled widely leaning against the blank wall beside the depiction of an Egyptian woman with eyes closed in what seemed to be terror.

'And who are you to tell the Pharaoh what he can and cannot do?' asked Ishizu, becoming scarily close to what Isis acted like in Ancient Egypt.

The teen smirked dangerously, 'The holder of the forbidden item,' he stated calmly, watching the group's eyes open wider.

Marik on the other hand stepped forward. 'There were supposedly only seven items made. Why is it the existence of an eighth is only being discovered now?'

'Because the fool of a man thought he could control it, when he found he couldn't he sealed it away. But the items tend to appear where their needed,' muttered the teen.

'The forbidden item was created by some freaky old guy that went on to hold the millennium eye...anyway. He thought that if he created an extra item, he would be able to use the two to take the power of the items. Gaining powers rivalling the gods. To do so, he attacked and killed a small band of musicians, on their way to their next destination. He channelled the last woman's soul into the creation of what he called 'The forbidden item', but he miscalculated. It wasn't directly connected to the other seven, and therefore only answered to the woman's soul he had trapped inside it. So he attempted to seal it away using the items he still carried. But Alkia has this thing with being locked away. It never really works.'

As he spoke, the tablet next to him flashed, and Alkia stepped out, once again in her Egyptian garb, raising her defiant gaze to the group of Egyptian's before her eyes narrowed coldly on the Pharaoh. She glanced away as his gaze become questioning, turning instead to the door upon the walls adjacent to her.

'I, the innocently slain spirit of the forbidden item, the controller of the shadows and the one chosen by the gods to call the final judgement, call upon the powers of the gods on this day. May your powers overlap this chamber and oversee the duel fairly, so that the judgement can be dealt by Anubis as to whether this soul is pure enough to continue on to the next life. So let it be done.'

As she was speaking, the group of duellists noticed a small instrument rising in front of her, glowing with a golden hue. As she spoke the final words to initiate the duel, the glow intensified and grew until before their eyes was an item the same shape as the final slot in the stone.

'It's a flute,' breathed Téa, as she looked at the instrument with awe at its beauty.

Alkia raised the flute to her lips and played a haunting Egyptian tune that echoed around the table. As she played, the magic in the chamber grew to stifling proportions before seeming to focus on the raised platform where the millennium stone sat.

The items all began to glow and rattle before bursting into a brilliant light that zoomed towards the eye on the door to the afterlife. The eye glow before seemingly opening and capturing Yugi in its gaze, his shadow splitting in two before the Pharaoh was brought to physical form next to him.


	4. Because The Price Was Just Too High

An: This may be a bit confusing cos I have to write it as Alkia/Thomas (Not relationship! Her taking over his body for a bit)for awhile. But it'll be over by the end of the chapter

Chapter 3: Because the Price Was Just Too High

They moved to take positions at the opposite ends of the chamber, but Yugi found himself wrapped in magic and pushed aside.

The others gasped before turning to the woman, who was now standing still as the Forbidden item hovered above the chamber in a distinct golden glow. Her eyes narrowed dangerously before the woman disappeared and the teen looked up again, a slightly different look to his features as he blinked his cold, red eyes.

'It is not for you to chose who you must face. It is, and always was, going to be me that you faced.'

Duke's eyes widened as he saw who the teen actually was.

'Wow! That's the American champion, Thomas Johnston. He is rumoured to not have lost since he began to fight in the tournaments...'

The group of friends looked worriedly at the spirit/man now staring down the Pharaoh with unfeeling eyes. Before the two yelled in synchronisation, 'Duel!'

Their duel disks activated with a whirring of gears as their life points rose to 8000.

Thomas/Alkia smirked before initiating his draw phase. 'I play 'The Musician of Favour'!'

Pixels flashed as a woman with long blonde hair rose from the ground. She was dressed in a cream coloured dress with a veil that covered her face, leaving only her blue eyes uncovered. She held a beautifully crafted wooden violin in her hands and raised it to her chin, preparing to play.

1200ATK 2000DEF

The group frowned at the card. Yugi screwed his face up in confusion, 'That makes no sense. That card would be so much better in defence unless...'

'Unless it had an effect?' Finished Thomas/Alkia, 'Surprise, Surprise. It does. Once a turn, my 'Musician of Favour' plays a tune of chance. If it goes in my favour, I get to choose, 1000LPs, a level 2-3 monster or a magic card. It's the same thing for you really.'

Atemu frowned, 'How do we know whose favour it goes in?'

Thomas laughed darkly, 'Oh, you'll know. Go 'Musician of Favour'! Song of Chance!'

The woman flexed her bow string before her fingers began to move faster than possible across the strings. The tune shouldn't have come from a violin either, it sounded like Techno music, with a girl singing.

'Oh, oh, thats me,' he/she blushed slightly while grinning, 'Unlucky. For you that is. Well, I choose to bring one magic card to my hand...' Thomas/Alkia paused as the card he/she must have selected ejected from the duel disk, 'Then I play two cards face down and end my turn. I should probably warn you now though, my Musician of Favour can only be destroyed via card effect.'

Atemu frowned before drawing and initiating his draw phase. This was going to be a puzzling duel. He certainly didn't know this vengeance-bent woman's strategy, but he had a feeling she knew his, and that was going to make this battle for literal death much more interesting.

HI!!BYE!

The two duellist's face sweated with exertion. Thomas/Alkia's effect musician themed deck was countering his own powerful deck at every turn. But now, he finally had gotten the three Egyptian God cards into play, their sheer size imposing in the now small room.

But still the teen/young woman showed no emotion but hate and the need for those that had done her wrong to repent.

'Next turn, my Gods will destroy the last of your life points...and I will win,' he said somewhat sadly as their LPs flashed.

Atemu: 600LP

Thomas/Alkia: 400LP

Alkia finally emerged out of her hikari, smiling resentfully. 'Unfortunately, I cannot concede that to be the case. It is time to play by far my most powerful card, certainly more powerful then your gods.'

Everyone in attendance gasped as the more solid, but still spectral woman raised the Ancient Egyptian version of a duel disk.

'Wait,' called Atemu, his face rueful, 'At least tell me, before the last turns of the duel, why you hate me so much for something I did not do.'

Alkia's normally emotionless face exploded. 'You did not do anything! That alone is why I despise you so _Pharaoh_' she spat the word out, dragging it through the muck and feeding to the crows. Figuratively speaking, 'You and your father did nothing. When your father gave the priest permission to create _them,_ (everybody knew what the spiteful woman meant) he asked not the price, he asked not if he planned for anything else. He said 'do what you will'. The sick man got free reign in creating items that should not exist, let alone an extra. He slaughtered innocents that had not a tint of evil in their souls with the same mercilessness he murdered the criminals in Kul Ena!'

'Surely you do not hold me responsible for the actions of my father!' Atemu cried, his younger face distraught as he looked up at the older woman across from him.

'You too did nothing, child!' she spat, making even Thomas flinch at her fury, 'You did not attempt to find out what had happened any more than your father did. You simply took the Puzzle and used it blindly. Ra forbid it could unleash something dangerous!' She teased mockingly.

'So you would hold me responsible for errors that anyone could make!' yelled Atemu in anger.

'You are not anyone,' she whispered, her voice filled with barely restrained rage, 'Your very title the 'lower classes' are forced to call you proclaims you greater than all. The fact you did nothing while others slaved to bring food to your table, shows you believed yourself better than others. If you wished to proclaim yourself a god, then you should know,' she whispered drawing her last card, 'God's don't make mistakes,' she whispered so quietly that as the comment reached Atemu he all but stumbled back, eyes pricking with tears of anger and injustice.

'I activate the magic I've had ready since the first turn of the game. Song of the Innocent's Revenge!'

The room flashed red as a bloodied woman appeared, kneeling, gasping on the ground grasping a mortal wound on the ground. The watcher's all gasped as they realised that it was Alkia in a card form.

Alkia, smiled sadly at the card appearance, 'Tis funny, is it not? That my final moments would be portrayed immortally on a card in what people believe a game,' she shook her head, as if to clear it.

'This card allows me to tribute two musicians that's combined level equals 8...' she did so, an unearthly shriek entering everyone's ears as two tablets on the wall seemed to glow before darkening abruptly, The Snake Charmer and Gypsy Girl, 'To call upon Elynna! The Vengeance Mage!'

The symbol flashed as it was called onto the Ancient Egyptian version of a Duel Disk, a dark shape flying in from one of the walls in the temple and taking shape of the field. Her short multicoloured garb looked out of place in the dark recesses of the room, but her emotionless face and pain-filled eyes made her look so like Alkia it made everyone cringe slightly.

'I never wanted a part of these shadow games, now I live as one,' spat out Alkia as her monster's stats flashed.

Elynna the Vengeance Mage 2000ATK 0DEF

Alkia smirked as Atem's face creased, he didn't know why she'd played such a mediocre card in attack mode against his Egyptian gods.

'Firstly, no your Slifer's effect does not activate. For Elynna is not affected by them, nor spells. She can only be destroyed in battle. As for a quick history check, ask Maadho who Elynna was, I'm sure he'll tell you(Or you can read my story, Dark Power, when I finally put it up =P). Now for her other effect! For every card, no matter the kind, in my graveyard. She gains 500ATK points so she can extract vengeance for those that came, and went, before her!'

The area behind Alkia glowed with the faces of monsters, traps and magic cards, each a sinister, spectral beast. She had started with a 50 card deck. She had 20 cards left in it.

Atemu's eyes widened as she mage's ATK points shot up to 17000ATK, his eyes already beginning to accept defeat.

'Elynna, show them your power and attack each of his so-called gods!' Alkia cried.

Her mage slowly raised her twisted staff towards the sky as she rose off the floor. The staff began to glow brightly, blindingly before slamming down the staff and setting Elynna alight with the swirling magic. She sent a glare towards the roaring gods and flung forward her staff and raw power flew out of her, slamming into the great gods.

The resulting explosion shook the very earth.


	5. For Such A Terrified Woman to Pay

Chapter Four: For Such a Terrified Woman to Pay.

When the air cleared of the golden dust, Atem had fallen. His Life points flashing zero. He gasped in a few jagged breaths before standing, teary but looking glad that he could finally rest.

Yugi was crying as Atem hugged him and whispered a few things in his ear. Reassurances, promises, probably a few lies. Anything to make his Hikari feel better.

Tea was weeping. She had foolishly fallen in love with someone that wouldn't, couldn't love her back. And now that the Pharaoh was leaving, there was no hope she could change that. Joey and Tristan would miss the other member of their unofficial gang. Seto would miss his duelling partner. Solomon would miss his second grandson.

Everyone would miss him.

'Yami?' came a quiet whisper from the other side of the room, everyone slowly turning around.

Thomas was kneeling on the ground, looking at the Millennium Flute that lay broken on the ground.

'Alkia?' his voice a bit louder now, trying to find his guardian.

He stood up a little shaken, Marik rushing over to help him when it looked like his was going to fall over. Thomas looked around brokenly, trying to find the Egyptian woman.

Suddenly, there was a bright flashing light over the other side of the tomb, next to the Doors to the Afterlife and Alkia took shape, glowing brighter than ever before.

She smiled carefully at her Hikari and welcomed him when he rushed at her with open arms, hugging him tightly to her breast, whispering a few things into his ear.

'No!' came the young teen terrified cry, 'You can't!'

Alkia smiled sadly, 'I must, young one. There is no other way for it to occur.' She moved to turn around, but her wrist was grabbed tightly by the boy.

'Alkia you can't! You can't go!'

'Go? Where are you going?' Asked Atem slowly.

'I won, which means the Doors to the Afterlife will open for you, at my say so.'

Yugi nodded, puzzled, 'But?'

Joey looked at him, 'How did you know there was a but?'

Tea shushed him quickly, 'Thomas wouldn't be making a fuss about it if there wasn't a but, Joey.'

Alkia smiled gently at their antics, 'The duel purified me, cleansing me of the Evil and Regret that once coated the Millennium Item,' she gestured at the broken flute, 'As it was supposed to. And now it is my duty to open the Doors of the Afterlife, at the sacrifice of my own soul.'

Thomas was crying as everyone else gasped, 'You won't move on?' whispered Atem, looking at the older woman carefully.

Alkia smiled as she shook her head, 'No, I won't be moving on, at least not like you will be. Not straight away.'

'What do you mean?'

'By using my soul to unlock the Door, my soul will be given to the service of the gods, for a set amount of time. An honourable price. After the time has passed, if the gods feel I am deserving, I may finally be allowed to move on with my band.'

'Band?'

'I was part of a band of Musicians, your highness. With the breaking of the last thing holding them to this world,' the group once again glanced at the broken item, 'They will finally move on, as they should of at the beginning.'

She turned once again to Thomas, 'You are strong, my Hikari, and shouldn't cry. I will be fine, and you will move on. And of course beat Yugi for the title of King of Games,' she winked playfully, 'because we both know I play by luck. Your skill is more than enough. Follow your dreams, Hikari, I will be watching over you, just not as closely as before.'

She gave him a small kiss on the forehead before moving in front of the door.

'I, the redeemed once-spirit of the Item, give my soul to the service of the gods, as decreed many millennia ago, to open the Door to the Afterlife for my Pharaoh Atem, Ruler of Egypt. I have judged him and he has passed the test. So let the powers of the Millennium Items flee and do their one last task, for the time for rest has finally come.'

The millennium items all glowed and out rushed spirits, swarming the young woman before flying at the door. The eye glowed and the door slowly opened and showed the souls of those Atem loved in the past there waiting for him.

He walked into their arms, his clothes once again in his Ancient Egyptian garb, and turned and waved one last time before the door closed, and Alkia faded.

They left behind a room of sorrow, but were finally at peace.


End file.
